Hunters
by SOS Radio
Summary: Twenty-five year old trainer, Jack Brenson really only became a bounty hunter to make easy money and blow off some steam. Now, he's been forced into the Big Sibling Program and has to deal with an eccentric grass trainer, a psychotic fire specialist, and a temperamental water user as well as outlaws ranging from stupid to crazy and everything in-between. Will he manage?
1. Jack the Hunter

**Jack the Hunter**

"_Alright, boy, stay hidden until I call out for you..."_

For a Pokémon of his size, Stoutland was surprisingly skilled where stealth was concerned. He managed to crouch down in the nearby bushes and once his companion was completely out of site, Jack decided to finally make his move.

"This has to be the place..." the dark-haired man muttered aloud as he approached the small shack in the middle of the woods. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Jack took a deep breath before knocking on the door. As he waited for an answer, he got a decent look at his surroundings. There were a few grass and bug Pokémon here and there, but as long as he kept everything under control, no one would get hurt.

"_Whaddya want_?" a drunken voice spat from the other side of the door.

"I'm looking for Rex Rhodes," Jack answered. "I have something important to give him. It's from his older brother."

"_Huh? You say it's from big bro. Guess you must be lookin' for me then..."_

The door slowly opened and Jack came face to face with a weedy looking young man with a scruffy beard and long, unwashed hair. His eyes were bloodshot and his arms were covered with tattoos. He did look a bit threatening, but according to the files he had read, Rex Rhodes was barely a one and a half star outlaw. He was nothing that Jack couldn't handle.

"Alright," Rex started as Jack followed in behind him, stumbling over the sleeping Pokémon that were scattered across the floor. "What did my brother have to give me?"

"Nothing much..." Jack responded before reaching inside of his coat and retrieving a pair of handcuffs. "Just these."

"Hey..." Rex shot back drunkenly. "If you're into that kind of stuff, you need to talk to my girl. Babe, get in here!"

Jack let out a sigh and fought the urge to facepalm. He could already tell that Rex was stupid when he let him in the shack without any sort of verification to see if he was telling the truth or not about delivering a message from his brother. However, he hadn't expected this much despite knowing how dim most outlaws tended to be.

"Listen," Jack started, hoping to get this over with as soon as possible. "My name is Jack Brenson. I'm with the Pokémon Bounty Hunting Services and you're a wanted fugitive with a price on your head. I'm taking you to the police, so please just make it easy and come along quickly."

It took Rex a few moments to process what Jack had said to him, but when it finally hit him, Rex's eyes widened and he stumbled back a few steps, nearly losing his balance before he decided to act.

"Hey!" he shouted at the sleeping Pokémon. "Wake your asses up and kill this guy!"

Almost immediately, Jack was nearly struck by the poison tail of the Seviper. He moved out of the way in time, but the swift and sudden motion caused him to trip back. He landed on the floor and quickly whistled for Stoutland while Rex's Skorupi was covering the floor in toxic spikes. It was only seconds later before the dog Pokémon arrived and yanked Seviper off of his trainer with his teeth.

"Watch out for the spikes!" Jack warned as he got to his feet. "I'm going after Rex!"

Rushing into the room, Jack found Rex halfway out the window with his confused girlfriend sitting up in the bed screaming and demanding to know what in the world was going on. Jack managed to get a hold of his leg and drag him back into the room before jumping on top of him and trying to pin him down. The fugitive was kicking wildly with his feet, making it even harder to maneuver. Jack had to admit that Rex was giving him more trouble than he anticipated and from the sound of Stoutland's harsh yelps coming from the other room, it appeared that he wasn't having an easy time either. He finally managed to subdue Rex long enough to put the handcuffs on him.

"What the hell is going on?!" Rex's girlfriend yelled.

"Your guy here is a wanted fugitive," Jack explained as Stoutland entered the room, having finally defeated Seviper and Skorupi. "He was charged with abducting Pokémon early last year in Celadon City along with his older brother, but they skipped town before they could be apprehended. I captured Rod a few weeks ago. Rex, you two sure do like to get in fights you know you can't win."

"Come on man!" Rex pleaded. "Cut me some slack. My Pokémon weren't going to _really_ kill you. I was using...uh...reverse psychology on them. Yeah, that's it. When I said _'wake your asses up and kill this guy'_, I meant _'wake your asses up and snuggle this guy'._..."

Jack's light brown eyes narrowed as he let out a sigh and told himself that he should have listened to his parents and gone to medical school.

* * *

Dealing with Rex had been bad enough for Jack, but now he had to deal with one of the things he hated most about turning in fugitives. It was the two police officers themselves that Jack hated dealing with. Unfortunately, he was assigned to them and simply had to accept it.

Officer Palumbo was the easier one to deal with. He was short and stout with beady eyes and large feet. He was certainly not the brightest officer on the force and was somewhat considered a joke by everyone. If he weren't so easily influenced by his partner, Jack wouldn't be as irritated as him as he was.

Officer Graft was the real troublesome one. He was tall and lean with sharp features and often carried the most infuriating smirk that Jack had ever seen. He was semi-competent, but his arrogance and condescending attitude was unmatched. His right-hand Pokémon, Arcanine, took after his trainer and would make a point to growl incessantly at Stoutland.

The two officers arrived outside of the headquarters when Jack contacted them about Rex's capture. He wanted to be sure that they were already prepared so that he could get his share of the reward and call it a day. He watched as Graft carelessly shoved Rex into the backseat of the police car and actually felt a pang of sympathy for the fugitive as Palumbo began taunting him.

"Good job finally apprehending him, Brenson," Graft remarked. "It only took you a year and a half to capture a one star outlaw."

"One and a half stars," Jack corrected him. "And if you could've done a better job then you wouldn't have had to call me to do it, now would you?"

Arcanine snarled at Jack and Stoutland was quickly ready to spring into action if need be. Graft approached Jack until they were face-to-face. The two men were about the same height with Jack being slightly shorter and more muscular. Graft didn't like when people actually stood up to him and Jack could tell that he did not appreciate his retort.

"You think you're any better than that piece of trash in the car right now?" Graft started. "Nah, Jack, you got that wrong. See me, I'm a respected member of the law while you and the rest of these so-called 'bounty hunters' are just glorified tracking dogs."

"Are you finished?"

Graft let out a low chuckle before nodding his head. "We left your reward with your commander. Don't spend it all in one place. Palumbo, we're heading off! Get in the car!"

"Got it," Palumbo replied. "See ya 'round, Jack."

The two officers sped off and Jack was relieved that things did not escalate into an altercation. He was quite level-headed, but even then it was hard to keep his cool whenever Graft was around. In all his twenty-five years, he'd never dealt with anyone he wanted to punch as much as Barrett Graft and that was including the numerous fugitives that he had tracked down over the years.

The Pokémon Bounty Hunting Services Headquarters was really just an average-sized stone building with three floors and a training area in the back. It was a bit basic, but most of the bounty hunters only required that much. Jack was glad that he wasn't hurt enough from his fight with Rex to have to go to the infirmary, but he'd definitely be sure to take Stoutland to the Pokémon wing for care after he picked up his reward. Recalling him to his poké ball, Jack entered the elevator.

"_Jack_..." he heard a voice whisper before he pressed the button in the elevator. "_Jack...I see misery and suffering in your near future..."_

"A bit too late for that, Heidi," Jack answered to the voice.

Jack saw a pair of bright green eyes and a pale heart-shaped face peek around the corner to the inside of the elevator. Heidi had long, black hair that had purple streaks dyed into it and several ear piercings along with an eyebrow, nose, and lip piercings. She specialized in ghost type Pokémon and enjoyed acting like the type despite the fact that she was in actuality a pleasant person to be around.

"Duke and I heard you caught another outlaw," she said as she entered the elevator. "You've been on fire these last few months."

"Yeah, but the outlaws keep piling on," Jack told her. "Capture one and three more take his place."

"I guess you're on the way to see the commander to get your reward," Heidi said as she pressed the button to take them up. "Duke said that he wanted to see all three of us, for what, I don't know."

Jack found himself caught off guard for a moment. He wondered what the commander wanted with him as well as with Heidi and Duke. The three of them were among the best specialized bounty hunters in the organization and Jack marveled at the possibility of the commander granting them independent status. Independent hunters we're allowed to go after any wanted fugitive of any rank without permission from a commander, were able to use whatever Pokémon they liked when tracking outlaws, and most importantly to Jack, got to keep all of their money from captures.

"_JAAAACK!" _

The sound of Duke's loud and gruff voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He hadn't realized that they had already arrived on the third floor. Duke greeted him with a fist bump and congratulated him on his recent capture.

"Thanks, Duke," Jack told him.

"So, when he tried to escape, did he set off any hidden Electrode or anything like that?" Duke asked excitedly.

Jack shook his head. While he was truly only in it for the money and Heidi was in it to test her skills, Duke was all about the combat that came with being a bounty hunter. He liked to see himself as an action movie star that ran from explosions and jumped out of planes. With his toned and tanned physique, the electric type trainer certainly looked the part.

"C'mon boys," Heidi said. "We better not keep the commander waiting..."

The three of them made their way into the large office in front of them. Granbull snarled as they were approaching, but quickly reverted to his playful state when he saw their familiar faces. Jack thought about knocking, but Duke decided to just open the door and walk inside anyway. The commander wasn't exactly strict about small things like that, but Jack wanted to at least pretend to be somewhat professional.

"_Jack, Heidi, Duke, take a seat._.."

His mother had taught him to never judge a book by its cover and Jack thought that lesson rang true wherever Commander March was concerned. He was only about five feet in height with brown eyes hidden behind a pair of dark shades that he almost never took off. He wore an overcoat that was far too large for him and overall looked completely harmless. His image wasn't help by his slightly eccentric attitude or the fact that he tended to favor fairy-type Pokémon, but you would have to be a fool to even think about crossing him.

"Would any of you like some candy bars before we start?" he offered.

"Don't mind if I do!" Heidi said as she grabbed a bar.

"Thanks, Commander," Duke remarked. "But I'm on a strict diet. Gotta keep up the physique..."

"I'd really rather get down to business, Commander," Jack said.

Commander March let out a laugh. "You know, Jack, you need to enjoy the little things every once in a while. You'd be much happier if you did. Anyway, I called the three of you in here because I have something very important that I believe you three would be good at. As you know, with the recent disestablishment of several criminal organizations and factions in the last two years, the number of wanted fugitives have skyrocketed. We are working with the police to do everything we can, but the truth is, we're a bit overwhelmed. That's where I believe you three can help."

"Are...you going to make us independent hunters?" Jack asked, trying his hardest to hide his excitement.

"No..." the commander answered. "Well, not yet. You're more useful here at the moment. Are you three aware of the _Big Brother Program_ that's been instituted among several bounty hunting organizations across the planet?"

"We've heard of it," Heidi said. "But I think _Big Sibling Program_ is the more appropriate name. It's when commanders call up bounty hunters in-training and let them train with more experienced bounty hunters while actually being able to go track down outlaws."

"Correct, Heidi," the commander told her. "And you're right,_ Big Sibling Program_ is the proper name for it. It allows our organizations to utilize more hunters while making sure they're up to the job."

"What's this got to do with us?" Duke asked curiously.

Commander March cupped his hands as he reclined back in his seat. Jack noticed that his feet didn't even reach the ground, but it did not appear to be an issue for him. "I've added you three to the program."

"What?!" Jack nearly shouted. "Sorry, Commander, but I have better things to do than babysit a bunch of teenage wannabe bounty hunters."

"If I'm not mistaken, Jack, you were once one of those 'teenage wannabe bounty hunters'," he remarked. "Besides, it's not optional. Do this for me and I promise you that in two years time, you three will be full-fledged independent hunters. What do you say?"

"I'm fine with it," Heidi said first.

"Me too," Duke added. "It's always more awesome if there's some more people involved."

Jack let out a groan before he made his decision. He knew that it was his only way of becoming an independent hunter any time in the near future. "Fine, I'll do it, but if anything happens to them on a mission, it won't be on my hands."

"Well, looks like that's settled," Commander March concluded. "You'll each have three trainers under your wing. Jack, you'll be supervising the grass, fire and water specialists. Heidi, you have the fighting, psychic, and dark trainers. And Duke, you'll be the head of the ground, ice, and steel users. Any questions or comments?"

"Just one," Jack stated. "I should have gone to medical school..."

"That's the attitude!" the commander said with a smile.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter one is finally done! Hopefully chapter two will be even better! **

**That's all for now!**

**Adios! **


	2. The Little Siblings

**The Little Siblings**

J.P. Silas had been out shopping for new sleeping hats that went with his socks when he had received news that he had been called up to be a specialized bounty hunter for the P.B.H.S. He had taken the required basic training and gotten through most of the preliminaries, but was still surprised that he had been called up to the main roster so soon. He assumed that you had to be at least eighteen, but apparently that was not the case since he was assigned to the _Big Sibling Program_.

"Pumpkaboo!" Silas called out as he moved to the back of his old recreational van, enjoying the feel of the retro orange shag carpet under his feet. "I think we're here. You can-_wo__oo__ah_!"

He found himself stumbling face first onto the soft carpet and instantly knew what he had tripped on. Pumpkaboo had used her intangibility to appear in front of him before he had time to register. Thinking her trainer was playing a sort of game, the young Pokémon smiled and began jumping up and down on his back. Luckily for Silas, she was only average sized for her species and not super sized like the one he had encountered in a battle last year.

"Alright, alright," he told her, rising to his feet and pushing his shaggy, dirty blond hair out of his face. "That's enough games for now. We need to go inside. Have you seen my grapes or my socks? Either or is fine by me."

"_Puuuuu!"_

Pumpkaboo floated over to the messy bed and retrieved a pair of socks for her trainer. She was sure to pick out the white ones with the green leaves on them. All of his socks that he owned had some kind of leaf or plant on them. The pair that Pumpkaboo picked out happened to be Silas's favorite pair and it was only right to wear them on such an important day.

"Alright, Baby Boo," Silas started as he put on his socks and shoes on. "We'll actually be sleeping in a room tonight. As awesome as it was living in this R.V. for the last few months, it is starting to get a bit crowded in here...and it kind of smells, so we need to air it out anyway. Let's go!"

Stepping out of the vehicle, the grass-type trainer was met with a modest sized, stone building that appeared to be about three stories. The nearby sign read: "_Pokémon Bounty Hunting Services" _ and confirmed to Silas that he had arrived at the correct destination. Stepping inside with Pumpkaboo floating above him, Silas took a look around the first floor. It basically consisted of nothing but a large, empty room with stairs and an elevator to the north and hallways to the east and west respectively. Silas took out the letter that he had received about the location of the meeting.

_B__ig Sibling Program_ – _2__nd__ floor:_

_Room: 204 – Grass, Fire, Water _

_Room: 205 – Fighting, Psychic, Dark_

_Room: 206 – Ground, Ice, Steel _

"To the stairs...haha!" Silas began laughing before he could finish the sentence. "I couldn't even keep a straight face on that one! C'mon, Pumpkaboo, let's get to the elevator."

Once the two were in, Silas nearly pressed the button but stopped when he saw someone else approaching. She was a young woman, about his age, with jet black hair that reached past her shoulders with the long bangs hanging in front of her shoulders colored a dark red. She had a slim, but noticeably developed body and her pale blue eyes contrasted with her dark skin tone.

However, what Silas really took note of was the fact that she was missing a pinky finger on her left hand and wearing a mostly tattered emerald green neckerchief. The Weavile by her side seemed to share the relaxed, but curious expression that she had on her face.

"Yo," Silas greeted. "Awesome neckerchief. Green's my favorite color."

The girl turned to him and cocked her head a bit before a smile crept across her face.

"Thanks!" she said cheerfully. "I always wear it! I like your socks! What kind of leaves are those?"

"Thanks!" Silas replied. "They're...um, _special_ leaves."

"Oh, okay," the girl said. "They looked a lil like pot leaves to me, so I was jus askin."

"Anyway..." Silas quickly moved the conversation along, extending his hand as he spoke. "I'm J.P. Silas."

"What does the J.P. stand for?" she asked curiously as she shook his hand.

Silas could not help but grin. He loved when people asked him what his initials stood for as he enjoyed coming up with new things to tell them. His real name was actually quite boring, so he liked to spice it up when revealing it to others.

"That's what makes it awesome," he told her. "It can stand for anything you want it to. Jazzy Pink, Justice Peace, Jumbo Pears. Whatever you see fit."

"Ooh, I like jumbo pears," the girl stated. "But I like lemons better. They're like my favorite food...well really, I like anything sour. Anyway, my name is Raine B. Barkarne. The B is for Burilda. And this is Weavile."

Silas nearly shook Weavile's hand as well, but the claws made him think twice. Pumpkaboo was less reserved and actually floated down to Weavile's height in order to make her prescence known. As they headed to the next floor, Raine revealed that she was also a part of the _Big Brother Program_ as a dark type specialist. Silas did not think that she had the stereotypical personality that went with being a dark type specialist, but that only made her more interesting.

"Well, here we are, everyone," Silas said as the elevator doors opened and they stepped out.

The first thing Silas noticed was a comfortable looking couch that he knew he would be sleeping on as often as he could. He saw a smaller couch and a few chairs situated in front a large television with a game system attached to it. There were two tables in the recreational room along with an air hockey and pool table. The most important thing however were the snack and drink machines near the entrance to the hallway.

"Oh, yes sir!" he shouted before running over to them and buying a pack of gummy candy and a sports drink.

"Throw two over here!" Raine called out.

Silas threw a gummy into the air and Weavile effortlessly caught it with her mouth. He threw another one to Raine and to his amazement, she was able to catch it in her mouth as well. He congratulated her with a high-five.

"Nice work!" Silas exclaimed.

"I know," Raine replied. "But dontcha think we should be gettin to our meetings before we're late?"

"Yeah, you're right," Silas said. "Pumpkaboo, let's go."

The two trainers and their Pokémon made their way down the hallway until Silas saw Room 204. Raine's meeting room was located across the hallway from his. The two said their goodbyes as Raine and Weavile entered their room. Pumpkaboo took a seat on top of Silas's head.

"Alright...this is it..."

* * *

Jack sat on the table and observed the three young trainers that he had been assigned to. He was not impressed, but he had not really expected to be impressed in the first place. However, he was certainly surprised by who and what he had ended up receiving. It was often said that most trainers who were actually willing to sign up for such a dangerous job had few alternatives if they wanted to make a decent amount of money. Still, it was as if Commander March had scraped the bottom of the barrel with these recruits.

The grass trainer was stretched all the way back in the recliner chair and was tossing gummy candies in the air, catching the ones that his Pumpkaboo missed.

The fire trainer was switching back and forth between cheering the grass trainer on and playfully flirting with the water trainer by telling her awful jokes.

The water trainer herself was continuously chewing on gum while tending to her Azurill and ignoring the fire trainer.

At this point, Jack was about ready to take a trip to South Lumiose University and enroll in their medical program. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the fact that he would be proving his parents right. Straightening himself up, he hopped off the table and was able to get the attention of the recruits when he landed.

"Alright," he began with a sigh. "This is how things are going to go. First, we're all going to introduce ourselves. Basically, you'll talk about yourselves, your Pokémon, and whatever else you think we should know about you. After that, I will tell you about this program, what it entails, and what I expect from you. When all the talking is out of the way, you can go into your rooms and unpack and go to the rec room to meet up with the other recruits. If you're confused, feel free to tell me. There are no stupid questions."

"I have a question," the fire trainer said as he skimmed over what appeared to be a joke book. "What happens when you put a Ditto with a-"

"It breeds," Jack finished. "That joke is older than my grandmother. And clearly I was wrong about the no stupid questions thing. Anyway, I guess I should go first. My name is Jack Brenson. I'm twenty-five years old and a normal type specialist. My parents and older sister are all doctors, but I'd rather receive a lot of money that does not require spending years in school, so I'm here. My Pokémon and I have captured dozens of criminals in our time as hunters and my goal is to eventually make enough money to retire on my own private island. That's basically all you need to know about me. Alright, water trainer, ladies first. Tell us about you."

"Megaira Nyx-Peri," the girl began as she ran a hand through her dark hair. "Meg, if you want to live. I'm a water type specialist. My hobbies include archery, shooting, and mixed martial arts. So as you can see, I'm not really one to be messed with. Oh, and I like to cook and read too, so there's that. Don't really have a particular goal. I just want to see evil assholes get what's coming to 'em."

"Aren't you the gentle soul?" Jack remarked dryly. "At the very least, you seem like the only one with a bit of common sense so far. Alright, fire trainer, you're next. Introduce yourself."

"I go by Raptor!" the fire trainer said cheerfully.

"Of course you do," Jack replied. "Proceed."

"I'm a fire type specialist," Raptor continued, picking up the speed in his voice. "I love my girlfriend, Caitlin. I also love junk food, green apples, mornings, terrible jokes, myself, talking, and hearing myself talk. Also-"

"You know what, Raptor?" Jack interrupted. "When I see a guy like you, I think that it's better if some things remain a mystery. It...uh, helps when you're out there tracking down criminals. Alright, grass trainer, it's finally your turn. See if you can wow me. You have some tough competition..."

The grass trainer stood up and stretched before he began speaking. Pumpkaboo remained in the seat obviously focused on eating what was left of their candy.

"J.P. Silas," the grass trainer started. "Silas is what most people refer to me by. I'm a grass type specialist. I became one because I always thought that grass Pokémon totally got the rough end of the deal compared to fire and water types and I used to garden a lot with Grandma when I was young. So in a way, I kind of want to prove their worth. I collect colorful sleeping hats and socks with different designs on them and I like grapes and special brownies. As for why I'm here, well I just want enough money to buy a greenhouse."

Jack nodded his now aching head, thankful that all three of them were done introducing themselves. However, he now found himself intrigued rather than just annoyed with the new trainees. Words were wind and he knew that he could learn more about them from observing rather than forcing them to speak.

All three were eccentric, but they were eccentric in different ways, ways that could possibly be of use when on the hunt. Even if they were short on people, new recruits still had to pass basic training and the fact that all three of them apparently did was a testament to their abilities regardless of their personalities.

Meg was the most 'normal' one of the three, but that was not saying much. She was slightly tall for a young woman and she had a slim, but toned build that backed up her earlier claims. Her personality was less like a flowing stream and more like a raging storm which could help or hinder them on missions. Still, she was a water specialist and Jack knew she would be able to adapt with help from the other two. Raptor could rile her up when it was time to fight while Silas could calm her after a capture.

Everything about Raptor was strange save for his physical appearance. He was tall, well-tanned, and had light brown eyes. The fact that he looked normal made him stand out even more. He dressed like a hobo complete with slacks and an off-white shirt under a beat-up black over-coat covered in patches and pockets, along with a bowler hat. Jack had stopped him from speaking mainly because the boy would go on forever, but also because his actions would tell Jack everything he needed to know. If anything, the fire trainer could potentially be the most dangerous of the three.

Silas was a bit of a middle ground. He was slightly eccentric and had slacker tendencies, but there was definitely something more there, specifically once he started talking about grass Pokémon and his desire to prove their usefulness. Meg and Raptor were obviously fighters. Jack was certain that they would lose out on the majority of the hunts if it were just the two of them. Having Silas as the mediator would keep everyone on the same page and help prevent mistakes that could be life threatening.

"Alright," Jack said. "As you already know, we are bounty hunters. We hunt down anyone with a price on their head. Usually, this is done individually, but due to circumstances that have cropped up over the past few years, the _Big Sibling Program_ has been instated to help with the growing number of outlaws. For the big sibling, i.e. me, this supposedly helps me with having some back up when dealing with more than one outlaw at a time or if I just don't feel like going on a mission. For the little siblings, i.e. you, this helps you gain experience and prevents you from being killed since you'll have someone skilled training you. The only thing I expect from you is for you to do your job and don't get in the way of my money. Now, training begins tomorrow at noon. You three will be battling me in a triple battle, so I suggest you get to know each other while you're meeting the other recruits. Dismissed..."

* * *

**A/N: We _finally_ got this done. It would have been out sooner if we hadn't spent the beginning of summer basically recuperating from a exhausting semester. Anyway, looks like things are jumping off now that Jack has met his rather odd little siblings. On top of that, we'll be meeting the other ones next chapter as well, so there's even more to look forward to. **

**Adios! **


End file.
